The largest Anglo-Saxon hoard of gold and silver ever found was unearthed by a man with a metal detector in July in Staffordshire, England. The items date between the 6th and 8th centuries and the number of items is much larger than that found in Sutton Hoo (Suffolk, England) in 1939. The craftsmanship of the items if remarkable and some items are unique, their purpose unknown at this point. Scholars are inclined to think this particular hoard, given the large number of weapon and armor fittings, is a collection of loot taken from dead warriors after one or more battles. It will be some time before the artifacts can be fully analyzed, but it is an archaeological discovery of huge importance. Links to the hoard's website, images of the objects recovered, and to various news stories about it are below: